Beasts of Burden
by Uzzle Cue
Summary: He is the most embarrassing trial Sakura has ever had to endure. The terrible thing is her parents won't let her disown him - no matter how much she claims it will save them in therapy bills.


**Beasts of Burden**

_Look left, look right. Look up, look down. The coast is clear. _

Sakura slid her bedroom door to the side a little more, just enough that she could hold her breath and squeeze through the gap. On stocking encased feet she padded towards the stairs that lead to the floor below. From her vantage she could make out the bottom half of the front door. Down the hall, her parents door was shut. A door beyond their's was open, a green and brown bedroom void of its' owner. Which meant he was out of the house - probably for an early team meeting - his team leader had a thing about utilizing dramatic sunrises.

As this was an incredibly important mission, Sakura decided to take extra precautions. She calmed her heart and lungs and drew energy from her gut in a small stream, winding it through the labyrinth of her chakra network, skin prickling where it passed. She centered the chakra at the points situated by each ear drum. The house around her became a different world. Suddenly the sound of her father chewing crunched as if he was siting beside her, the pouring of tea sounded like a small waterfall. Parents in the kitchen, sounds like whatever they were having for breakfast wasn't worth eating. She'd just sneak out, snag something from a convenience store on her way to school, and skip any awkward morning conversations. She'd gotten an earful already about things she should watch out for as her and her new team went on missions.

Drawing more chakra to her ears, until they felt warm with the power, Sakura pressed on, cringing a little as she picked up the shouting of a couple from the apartment complex next door, the wail of a baby and it's father's hushing, several people snoring, and then the tumble of someone dropping a dish, glass slipping from flesh - Sakura withdrew her chakra before she could suffer the sound of the crash.

She certainly hadn't heard him lurking about. Still, she eyed the stairs, each with its' own creak or squeal - a good ninja could never be too careful. Hoisting herself up on the banister, she applied chakra to her feet and gently strolled downwards, dismounting silently with an unconscious flourish of her hands. Her boots sat at the door, their tall sides flopped over. Sitting down she quickly shoved her feet into them, snapping each buckle into place rapidly.

Victoriously, she wound her bag over her shoulder and opened the front door - home free -

_- a hideous combination of green and orange grew instantaneously from a distant smudge to the point of swallowing her immediate vision - _

Sakura shrieked as a body barreled into her. She felt the unpleasant slide of spandex against her cheek as the reek of sweat filled her nostrils.

Her mother and father came into the room in a flash. Her mother with a kitchen knife in hand, glowing faintly with chakra, her red hair a mess. Her father's beard speckled with grains of rice, his taciturn face battle-ready.

They lowered their hackles as they took in the peculiar yet unfortunately mundane scene of their son crushing their daughter into a brutal hug while he pirouetted her around the front entrance in a whirlwind of mad delight.

"You idiot! Let me go! Seriously, stop it! _Urgh!_ I said let me go, you stupid jerk!" Sakura snarled, pushing at Lee's chest fruitlessly.

"Never!" he laughed maniacally, "I must congratulate you! Aren't you excited? You're finally a ninja, Sakura! Now we can go on missions together! We'll camp out and beat up the bad guys and become heroes!"

"You're making me sick," Sakura said.

Gathering enough chakra in the tips of her fingers to dig into his shoulders, on the next spin, she caught the soles of her feet on the wall, grasped his uniform and timed his momentum to throw the older boy bodily through the front door.

Sakura, dropped off the wall into a crouch, scowling as Lee tumbled into a group of garbage bins and immediately bounced free from the trash.

"Nice job on that throw!" Lee bellowed, his smile blinding, both thumbs thrust up.

"Are you mentally damaged?!" Sakura hissed, she turned to her parents as she straightened her twisted shirt and reset the strap of her bag. "Please tell me he's adopted?"

"Sakura," her mother warned.

Sakura grimaced, "Whatever. I'm going. I can't be late."

"I'll come with - !"

"Leave me alone! God, don't you have your own team you can go bother?!" Sakura stomped out the door, Lee trailing after her oblivious to her derision as he easily kept up with her increasing pace.

"Good luck, sweetheart!" their mother shouted, waving at their backs. Lee turned his head briefly to smile and wave back - Sakura took the opportunity to try and dodge away from him, but he was quick to find her in the crowd and continue his goodhearted pestering.

Without turning her head the matriarch of the Rock-Haruno household spoke to her husband in a chilling tone, "This is all your fault you know. I told you Maito Gai was the wrong teacher for Lee - he's practically a clone of the man now."

"He's the only one who would take Lee under his wing with his - ... disability. We've had this discussion before, darling. This is just a phase, kids go through them as they figure out who they want to be. Remember Sakura? First she wanted to be a dancer, now she's become a ninja."

"That's different... and you're still the one who bought Lee that ridiculous suit without asking me first_._"

"Are you every going to let me live that down?"

"I really don't know, h_oney. _I may if by some divine intervention from god we have grandchildren." Her expression void of humor, she returned to the kitchen.

Rubbing rice from his face, he called after her, "There's always Sakura."

)0(

I don't think there has ever been mention of Lee's parents - not that I can recall at least. I thought his character would be more interesting if he came from a family who is really good at using chakra, with super-control over it. Then I thought, it would be funny if Sakura was his sister - a chakra control prodigy.

Oh the angst I could put them through. However, I never fully developed the story. This came out of revisiting the concept.

I think Lee would be a ridiculous and embarrassing brother to have and I like to think he'd bring out the brat in Sakura. She's already kind of bratty early on in the show and comic, but with that 'only child' vibe that has nothing to play off of.


End file.
